Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
8/113rd/4th & short
11/27Inside-5 share
8 of 11 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (72.7%). 11 of the team's 27 inside-the-5 carries (40.7%).
Will Matthews
Will Matthews: RB · Kent State · #2.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Will Matthews
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Played for two head coaches in four seasons at Kent State. A game that shows it: 126 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD against Akron — Week 7, 2019.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
Fans
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kent State | 123 | 570 | 4.6 | 3 | 34 |
| 2018 | Kent State | 29 | 115 | 4.0 | 1 | 21 |
| 2017 | Kent State | 54 | 188 | 3.5 | 1 | 25 |
| 2016 | Kent State | 31 | 138 | 4.5 | 0 | 51 |
| Career | 237 | 1,011 | 4.3 | 5 | 51 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kent State | 7 | 70 | 10.0 | 0 | 28 |
| 2018 | Kent State | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 0 | 19 |
| 2017 | Kent State | 5 | 71 | 14.2 | 0 | 36 |
| 2016 | Kent State | 3 | 91 | 30.3 | 0 | 48 |
| Career | 20 | 279 | 13.9 | 0 | 48 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 7 | W 26-3@ Akron | 25 | 126 | 5.0 | 1 | 16 | Season-high 126 yds |
| Wk 8 | L 38-45@ Ohio | 14 | 85 | 6.1 | 1 | 25 | |
| Wk 9 | L 16-23vs Miami (OH) | 15 | 52 | 3.5 | 0 | 10 | |
| Wk 11 | L 33-35@ Toledo | 13 | 55 | 4.2 | 0 | 25 | |
| Wk 12 | W 30-27vs Buffalo | 11 | 37 | 3.4 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 13 | W 41-38vs Ball State | 14 | 85 | 6.1 | 0 | 34 | |
| Wk 14 | W 34-26@ Eastern Michigan | 14 | 74 | 5.3 | 0 | 11 | |
 Bowl | W 51-41vs Utah State | 17 | 56 | 3.3 | 1 | 12 | |
| Total | 123 | 570 | 4.6 | 3 | 34 |
Signature game
Week 8 · 2019
L 38-45
at Ohio
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 11 · Toledo · 3rd and 18 · Q4 · EPA +4.01Dustin Crum pass complete to Will Matthews for 28 yds to the Toled 40 for a
- Week 11 · Toledo · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA −3.46Will Matthews run for 5 yds to the Toled 41 Will Matthews fumbled, forced by Terrance Taylor, recovered by Toled Saeed Holt
- Week 13 · Ball State · 2nd and 10 · Q3 · EPA +3.20Will Matthews run for 34 yds to the 50 yard line for a
- Week 8 · Ohio · 2nd and 10 · Q1 · EPA +3.05Will Matthews run for 25 yds to the Ohio 39 for a
- Week 11 · Toledo · 2nd and 6 · Q1 · EPA +2.65Will Matthews run for 25 yds to the Toled 46 for a
- Week 8 · Ohio · 1st and 25 · Q2 · EPA +2.29Will Matthews run for 17 yds to the Ohio 48
4 more plays
- Week 7 · Akron · 2nd and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.09Will Matthews run for 5 yds for a TD, (Matthew Trickett KICK)
- Week 8 · Ohio · 2nd and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.07Will Matthews run for 2 yds for a TD, (Matthew Trickett KICK)
- Week 8 · Ohio · 2nd and 8 · Q2 · EPA −1.85Will Matthews run for a loss of 4 yards to the KntSt 44 Will Matthews fumbled, forced by Will Evans, recovered by KntSt Dustin Crum
- Week 7 · Akron · 2nd and 10 · Q4 · EPA +1.73Will Matthews run for 16 yds to the KntSt 35 for a
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
123 of 123 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
48%106 carriesFumble rate
1.6%2 of 123 carries · 1 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds17%of carries
21 carries
Grind
1–3 yds33%of carries
41 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds35%of carries
43 carries
Explosive
10+ yds15%of carries
18 carries
8 of 11 (73%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 3 of 11 (27%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
4.6 yds/carry on 123 carries · 15% explosive (10+ yds) · 48% success rate.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
17%
Stuffed (≤0)
33%
Grind (1–3)
35%
Chunk (4–9)
15%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2016Kent State3-9HC: Paul Haynes · Run-heavy
2017Kent State2-10HC: Paul Haynes · Run-heavy
2018Kent State2-10HC: Sean Lewis · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2019Kent State7-6HC: Sean Lewis · Run-heavy
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 58.0 | 4.3 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 85.0 | 5.2 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-72g | 91.0 | 4.2 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 64.7 | 4.8 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Sean Lewis
Pass share
39.4%
355 pass / 546 run
Plays / game
69.3
13 games
Team sack rate
10.5%
418 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Awards
Player standing · 2019
123 carries and 7 catches in 8 games
More touches a game than most FBS running backs who play every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Four seasons at Kent State
- 2019 Kent State LewisYear 4 · 8 games
- 2018 Kent State LewisYear 3 · 8 games
- 2017 Kent State HaynesYear 2 · 9 games
- 2016 Kent State HaynesYear 1 · 8 games
How it ended
Four seasons at Kent State, 1,011 rushing yards — the college career is complete.
Coaching lineage · 2016–2019
2 coaches2016–2017
Kent State
Coaching transition mid-career: Paul Haynes → Sean Lewis. Worth noting in scheme + development context.